


and can you make it last forever?

by sanctimonials



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: (BUT NOT A LOT OF HOMOPHOBIA!), 5 Times, First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, Internalized Homophobia, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-27
Updated: 2020-01-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:54:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22428913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanctimonials/pseuds/sanctimonials
Summary: When Leon was eleven years old, he had his first kiss.“Oh,sick! I’m gonna blow chunks!”And it was the worst thing that ever could have happened to him.
Relationships: Dande | Leon/Kibana | Raihan
Comments: 8
Kudos: 118





	and can you make it last forever?

**Author's Note:**

> i've got raileon brain rot.

i.

When Leon was eleven years old, he had his first kiss. 

“Oh,  _ sick _ ! I’m gonna blow chunks!” 

And it was the worst thing that ever could have happened to him.

He and Sonia had been on the road for the better part of the summer, panting through humid days as they began their gym challenge. At first, it was fun and easy, the summer days long and the nights comfortable as Ribombees buzzed around them and other Oddishes and ends chirped in the tall grass. They slept under the stars, with the smell of firewood and curry in their noses and the dream of stadiums crying out their names in their heads.

And then they met Raihan. And he kicked up red dirt around them, his smile sharp and hungry for glory, not unlike Leon’s own smile but still so, so different. He was so, so different, and like a moth to a flame, Leon was pulled to him, hypnotized by the other boy’s braggadocious attitude and blue flame eyes. And, like Sonia, it was easy with Raihan. Easy to talk to him, easy to train with him (even if he was a bit of a sore loser), and Leon found himself reaching towards the other boy’s hand during the summer nights, aching for something so much it hurt. That wasn’t easy.

And then, after the third gym leader was defeated, the challenge wasn’t so easy. The nights came earlier and became colder. The chirps in the grass became growls and low rumbles. The trio realized, all too soon, that they were just children in the wild, fighting for the chance to be something great.

But they were still children and, as children do, they played a game to ease their nerves.

The bottle of emptied cola spun around in a blur between the three of them. Raihan had spontaneously suggested they play truth or dare, commenting that he was bored out of his damn skull. Leon and Sonia had agreed, not seeing how badly this could go wrong. Leon never could have anticipated how fucked this could have made him.

Sonia went first, the young boys acting gentlemanly. The bottle landed on Raihan, and, for a split second, Leon was stabbed with green jealousy, forgetting they were playing truth or dare and not Spin The Bottle. 

(Jealousy was new, just another new emotion to add on to the long list Raihan introduced to Leon. No more than a couple of days ago Raihan had confided in Leon that he found Sonia cute, with her ginger curls and heart clips and her freckled, light skin. The news punched the air out of Leon and it took all of his strength not to grimace when he tried to smile at his friend. And if he stared at the mirror, wishing he had ginger hair and light skin, well... what he felt was just another emotion to add on to his ever-growing list.)

“Truth or dare?” Sonia smirked at Raihan, even though they all knew what Raihan would choose. 

“Dare,” Raihan declared, sitting up straight and puffing out his chest, confident as always.

Sonia hummed, twirling her hair as she thought of a dare. Her eyes met with Leon and a Meowth got the cream smile curled on her lips as she turned back to Raihan and said, “I dare you to kiss Leon!”

Leon sputtered, all of the heat in his body going straight to his face. He hoped that the tone of his skin and the low light from the electric lamp would hide just how flushed he really felt. His gaze cut to Raihan, whose own face was a mask of surprise before he shrugged and said, “not even a dare. C’mere, Lee.”

And Leon obeyed, scooting closer to the other boy until their knees touched. Raihan’s fingers were cold when they curled over Leon’s cheeks, and Leon hoped he couldn’t feel the heat radiating off of him. And then — there was the kiss, pressed too rough against his chapped lips, awful and completely innocent compared to what Leon saw in those teen movies they showed on TV. But Leon melted anyways, every muscle relaxing as his emotions overwhelmed him. Raihan was kissing him and Leon knew nothing else would ever compare.

They parted, and Leon watched as Raihan opened his eyes slowly, his blue eyes coming into focus. The other boy’s twisted into something undecipherable and his hand flew to his mouth as he turned away, exclaiming, “Oh, sick! I’m going to blow chunks!”

Raihan left the tent with a dramatic throw of the tent flap, yelling at Sonia to shut up as she laughed at him. But as soon as he was out of earshot, Sonia’s laughter quickly died down as she took in Leon’s expression. Leon, who continued to sit where he was, tensed and statue frozen as he realized something life-changing about himself.

“Leon...? Are you okay?” Sonia delicately asked, reaching out to place a hand on her friend’s shoulder. 

Leon startled at the gentle touch and when he turned to Sonia, he couldn’t help the silent tears of hurt that escaped his eyes.

“I think...I have a crush on Raihan.”

  
  


ii.

The way the challenger's last pokemon dropped to the ground had Leon holding his breath. He watched on as the referee runs to the pokemon to check it’s status and he lets out a whoop as it’s declared unconscious and that there are no more pokemon for the challenger to pick from. The cheer is deafening, even from where he is in the locker room just off the pitch, watching the simulcast on the TV.

The camera panned to Raihan, who is celebrating with his Duraludon, his face gritty from the sandstorm Flygon whipped up early in the battle. His smile is wide and Leon felt his heart thump hard in his chest. Soon, he will face the other boy, both of them on opposite sides of the pitch. Neither of them will go easy on the other, and the prospect of winning or losing against Raihan had electricity running through Leon’s veins.

Raihan burst through the doors separating the pitch from the locker room not a moment later. Leon watched as his eyes searched the room for a second before they landed on Leon. The goofy grin was back on Raihan’s face as he made his way to Leon, and Leon’s heart thumped again as it pumped lovesickness through him.

“I did it! I did it!” Raihan exclaimed, throwing his arms around Leon’s neck. Leon breathed in the smell of sand and sweat that clung to the other boy before he wrapped his arms around Raihan in earnest, returning his friend’s enthusiasm. He laughed as Raihan lifted him off the ground and spun them around. He gave the other boy’s back a good-natured pat once he was let down.

“Of course you did, Rai, you’re a beast!”

“A beast that’s about to kick your butt!” Raihan laughed, his eyes bright with excitement. “God, Lee, it’s just us now! We did it! I can’t wait to see you out there!”

Leon’s stomach flipped at Raihan’s words, and his ears heated with embarrassment. They had fought so hard for this, worked themselves and their pokemon down to the bone. Leon wouldn’t have had it any other way; it was always supposed to be just him and Raihan on that pitch, facing each other as sand whipped their hair around them, eyes blazing from their battle. Leon felt himself flush more, the idea too romantic to a pokemon battle-obsessed boy like him.

“I can’t wait either, man,” he said and hoped his voice wasn’t as breathless as it sounded to his own ears.

Once Raihan’s pokemon were healed up, the attendant rounded both of them up.

“Ready?” They asked and both boys nodded. “Good. Leon, I will be taking one of you to the other entrance, so please follow me.”

At that, Leon threw Raihan his most confident grin as he said, “I’ll see you out there, rival!”

Raihan shot him a smirk back, his sharp canine poking dangerously out. But instead of throwing his usual braggart comment, he grabbed Leon’s arm and pulled him close to place a gentle kiss on the other boy’s cheek. Leon froze at the soft sensation of Raihan’s lips on his face and before he could demand an explanation, Raihan murmured, “For luck. You’re gonna need it, mate.”

As Leon followed the attendant to the other side of the pitch, he tried to ignore how his heart ricocheted around his chest, how the warmth of Raihan’s lips burned the apple of his cheek. And as he beat Raihan in the match, he ignored the way the other turned away from him, fists clenched, and how he wished he could’ve given all of Raihan’s luck back.

  
  


iii.

Leon was being lifted. Confetti rained around him in blurred reds, blues, gold, and silver. He had won. 

Leon was the Champion of Galar now. 

The crowd erupted into a frenzy, and congratulatory music played through the speakers. The jumbotrons all had his flushed, overjoyed face plastered on them, for all of Galar to see. Leon felt tears prickle his eyes as he took it all in, the cheers, the relief, the happiness.

“You did it! Lee — you did it!” 

And suddenly he was placed back down on the grass, his vision filled with Raihan’s excited face. Raihan was the first on the pitch once the referee announced the Champion’s last pokemon had fainted, slamming into Leon with his whole body and lifting the other boy up. 

“I’m so proud of you, mate,” Raihan exclaimed as he hugged Leon tight. “You did it!”

Leon felt a tear escape his eye, his heart close to bursting. He wanted to kiss Raihan so badly, to tell him how he felt, the joy of becoming Champion making him sappy. But he didn’t, and as he was led away by Chairman Rose to see his mother in the locker room and to give his winning statement, it was all Leon could think about. 

Ten years later, it was still all Leon could think about.

**Author's Note:**

> there will be a second part to this! i can't just leave it off here.
> 
> kudos and comments make my day! thank you for reading!


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